If you’re looking for Deborah Crombie books in order, you’re probably looking for her Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James mysteries. That’s the long-running British police procedural series she’s best known for, and it’s the place to focus first.
The series follows Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James through murder investigations, shifting relationships, and cases that build naturally from one book to the next. Each mystery stands on its own, but the character arcs work better when you read the books in publication order.
Below, I’ve also included her short story and other book contributions so the full bibliography is easier to sort through.
Jump to:
- Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Books
- Nocturne Short Story
- Other Deborah Crombie Books and Contributions
- Who Is Deborah Crombie?
Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Books
The Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James books are best read in publication order. The murder cases usually wrap up by the end of each novel, but the personal lives, relationships, and career changes build across the series.
This is also the chronological order for the main novels.
- A Share in Death (1993)
- All Shall Be Well (1994)
- Leave the Grave Green (1995)
- Mourn Not Your Dead (1996)
- Dreaming of the Bones (1997)
- Kissed a Sad Goodbye (1999)
- A Finer End (2001)
- And Justice There Is None (2002)
- Now May You Weep (2003)
- In a Dark House (2005)
- Water Like a Stone (2007)
- Where Memories Lie (2008)
- Necessary as Blood (2009)
- No Mark Upon Her (2012)
- The Sound of Broken Glass (2013)
- To Dwell in Darkness (2014)
- Garden of Lamentations (2017)
- A Bitter Feast (2019)
- A Killing of Innocents (2023)
- A Long Cold Sleep (2027)
Nocturne Short Story
Nocturne is a Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James short story that leads into No Mark Upon Her. I wouldn’t count it as one of the main novels, but it belongs on a complete Deborah Crombie list.
- Nocturne (2012)
If you can find it, read Nocturne after Necessary as Blood and before No Mark Upon Her. If you can’t find it, you can continue with the main novels without losing the thread of the series.
Other Deborah Crombie Books and Contributions
Deborah Crombie has also contributed to a couple of collaborative and anthology projects. These are not Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James novels, so I’d treat them as extras.
- The Sunken Sailor (2004)
- Echoes of Sherlock Holmes (2016)
The Sunken Sailor is a round-robin mystery written by multiple authors, with Crombie contributing one chapter. Echoes of Sherlock Holmes is an anthology inspired by Sherlock Holmes, and Crombie’s story is called “The Case of the Speckled Trout.”
Who Is Deborah Crombie?
Deborah Crombie is an American mystery author best known for the Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series. She was born in Dallas, Texas, but her books are set in Britain and follow Scotland Yard investigations.
Her first novel, A Share in Death, introduced Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James. From there, the series grew into a character-driven British police procedural with ongoing personal threads running beneath the murder investigations.
Crombie’s long connection to Britain shows up throughout the books, from London police work to English villages, country houses, and the relationships that carry from case to case.
Looking for similar books in order?
If you want more mystery authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Mystery Books in Order index.
2 thoughts on “Deborah Crombie Books in Order: Duncan Kincaid & Gemma James”
Very much out of date
No. It isn’t? I check every few months. Doing another pass right now. And there’s no new books since A Killing of Innocents in 2023. Not sure why you think the article is out of date. The author hasn’t published anything. So the lack of a recent novel on the list is not my fault.